what if

what if # 170: blurry dot with reverse applique

i have asked myself before (1) what if (?) i cut windows in a fabric to expose a print below and  what if the repeat of that print is large so only part show here and there. and that gives a random appearance. and i have asked myself (2) what if (?) i paint dots on wet fabric and that gives a nice soft stained effect. and so i decided to ask myself what if (?) i combine those two question. a nice hard edge of turned reverse applique filled with random hard edged motif against a blurry soft halo like ground. and a nice 3D effect.

i have shown the print from the back here.

and a detail that shows the stitches which were not match on purpose (3) . it is nice to layer thoughts one on top of another.

related what ifs:  1 , 2, 3.

what if #166: discharge on indigo gauze

...i was really asking myself what if dots could be square?  and what if windows are dots, holes to see through?  and that was working and led to the question what if i make windows by bleaching indigo... i cut a stencil from freezer paper and ironed it to a piece of very loosely woven indigo, because it had holes in it and i was still thinking "see through". the discharge paste was soft scrub because i had some here. and the punch line is... the back!  windows but softer. i like the back where the bleach worked its way though, but not all the way. a cloudy day.

what if #154: fortuny dots

i always associated fortuny with pleated fabric, not knowing much else about them. after receiving some small gifted pieces from phyllis, i was amazed by the strange and unfamiliar technique used in this print. (shown front and back) ... at first glance the design appears to be a woven damask, but looking closer it is obvious that the fabric is a solid twill and the design has been produced by layering pigment and dye perhaps in combination of screen printing and hand painting. and after some research it is apparent that the technique is not exactly known. it is indeed unique. 

 my limited experience with prints has at least left me with enough knowledge to recognize the difference in nature between the colored areas of the design, the lighter greenish part is much stiffer and the pigment lies on the front surface, probably applied over the gold hand dyed/painted ground.  on a whim i asked myself  what if (?) i draw  dots and fill them in so the colored area spans both the soft and hard surfaces of the design. i was guessing that they would absorb the color differently.  they did as the gold sucked up the ink and the pigment print ...which has a metallic nature...resisted a bit. two tone dots. very cool and just another layer of pigment. i think it fits the fortuny mood of the fabric. 

 i also tried it with other colors. and lines. a sort of resist technique using the nature of a pigment print.

what if #149: shadow layers

...so it was really sheer fabric and right after i asked what if(?) i draw some more dots over the flocked dots i thought what if(?) i put another patterned fabric beneath the sheer before making it into a quilt block.

nothing new i guess, but i like the look of the stripes through the dots it and it gave the lightweight fabric more body to work with. 

what if #141: floating intersections

....to continue on the idea of dots and grids, i asked what if the grid itself is a dot?  intersecting woven lines pieced into a dotted sheer jacquard clip spot. all fabrics are sheer cotton. free machine pieced. seam pressed out flat.

what if #140: shifted motifs

....just simply drawing with marker on fabric, chopping it up and playing with piecing it back together. sometimes upside down. i like very much the upside down . laundry marker on cotton yarn dyed oxford shirting . recycled. not stitched yet. what if i do that?

what if # 139: sheer folded 9 patch

again i am using the term nine patch loosely, 9 squares of a yarn dyed windowpane.  i thought what if i use a sheer plaid? what if i draw circles in the squares since i've been focusing on dots?  and then what if i use the back side so the circles are more faded than the yarn dyed grid. just for some dimension. and what if i fold it over on itself, rematching the lines so the grid is intact but the circled overlap and show through? ....after folding i cut a nine square section and quilted it down to a linen backing. the fold line was blind stitched in place to stay put.
i like how the shadowed overlap looks like moon phases. the fabric is thin enough so the fold has no real bulk. about 4" square without border. cotton voile plaid on linen. laundry marker.

what if #132: pattern play overlay

.....so i suppose i am revisiting this. and this time i am asking what if i play with 2 different patterns. and what if one is static and the other flowing. and what if i use dots as windows and use a spool to trace perfect circles....what if the circles don't need to be perfect? what if i use the cutouts as applique but what if i just darn them on with a quilting stitch, will they just melt into the web of the surface. what kinds of patterns can i create by tilting the pieces? what if i use the stripe as a stitching guide and play with the thread color a bit?
....well then... what if i write all my questions on the back as a document of process? cool...
now the last and craziest what if today.  what if....this could be a bookmark. a bit big you say? ( 4" x 12"). nah... a "book mat" perhaps? nah... i think it will work fine and i will call it a .....'question mark' !!!!!  a new series with a function. place keepers.  keepers of the evolution of creative thought. oh yeah. my new format for what-iffing 2009.

what if #128: orderly holes

.....i have experimented with cut out frames before but in a more random fashion. for instance here and here. but today i thought what if i use that plaid graph paper idea for holes. they become much more like windows when you follow the grid.
.....i also wondered what if i use that double cloth i have with the check on one side. this idea added other advantages. it is 2 sided so i can use it either way. it is double layered so the frame will have some loft. it is double woven being consistently tacked together in a grid of woven stitches which give the frame stability against curving and i also love the tiny dots that actually quilt the fabric together. i like them visually and i am thinking about them structurally for another what if.

more on this here

what if #122: continued- padded reversible skitch-skatch

....continued from the last post, i have tried the padding. working here with an yarn dyed blue linen, folded over and stuffed with a strip of  chunky cotton twill. (the twill weave is more flexible and keeps the border from becoming stiff).
i left the ragged fringe from the stuffer hanging out as a decorative element. the extra layer works well to catch the stitches and so far nothing shows on the back.